Black Fire
by Golden Emblem
Summary: When visiting Castle Etruria, someting happens which will change the course of history for all time. Please read, and review! I'm desperate!
1. The Beginning

Me: Hey! This fanfic contains characters from a sign-up.

Hector: GE doesn't own Fire Emblem, and any of the sign-up characters, save Nina.

Nino: This fanfic is rated PG for now, but the rating will go up. Sorry!  
Etruria Countryside 

In Etruria, the sky was a grey haze, covered by clouds which promised rain, or even a nice thunderstorm. Underneath all this, three carriages clicked along a gravel road, followed by a fleet of paladins and cavaliers. However, one carriage wasn't for a lord or lady. Instead, it was for three guards.

Nina and Luna, two friends in service to House Ostia, gazed out of the carriage window with the eyes of two teenagers saddened by days of travelling. It was a very long road from Ostia to Etruria, after all.

Nina and Luna could have been mistaken for sisters, for their light silver hair matched almost perfectly, and they had the same fair skin. However, Nina had bright green eyes while Luna had blue eyes that held the sky in their gaze.

At the moment, Nina was fiddling with the collar on her blue mercenary uniform, while Luna was adjusting her almost black cape, which matched her sky blue skirt and shirt.

"Hey Luna," Nina asked suddenly, "are we there yet?" Luna sighed deeply while stifling a laugh. Nina tried her best to make everyone happy.

"Not yet, you two," a man in the carriage answered for Luna. "We are about fifteen minutes away, by my estimate." The man in the carriage was a general, yet he had trained both Nina and Luna on how to be good knights of Ostia. "Oswin, don't you think Lord Hector might like to know that information?" Nina enquired suddenly, "Shouldn't you go tell him"  
Oswin nodded in agreement as he opened the door of the still moving carriage. In a feet which would seem impossible, he jumped out and landed on his feet, almost cat-like.

Nina pondered his odd movements as Luna slammed the door shut. How could he, a burly general, jump out of a moving carriage and land on his feet when she, a young and agile mercenary, not burdened by his armour, usually landed on her rear?

"So," Luna stated, "we are going to a meeting of lords, ladies, and heroes, Nina. What will you be doing first?"

"I'm not sure," Nina replied. "I have to stay with Marquess Hector, so that ruins my time. You?" Nina was still angry at the newly instated marquess, who had made her guard him while he was in Etruria.

"Don't get angry at Hector," Luna countered. "Oswin assigned guard duty, so accuse him of wasting your time. Did you really think he would guard Marquess Hector? He's going to that meeting as well"  
'That meeting' was a convention of warriors who had fought the dragons, and Nergal. They would formulate a plan for another attack of dragons, and work together to stop the world from dying out.

"Dmn him," Nina muttered. "As soon as I become strong enough, I'm going to beat him! He always hated me, ever since we first met!"

"Nina!" Luna stammered. "That isn't a nice thing to say! He's our mentor, and, like it or not, our superior. He will be the one to decide if you use that knight crest or not."

Luna was referring to Nina's treasure, a knight crest Luna had stolen from an enemy base. Oswin has almost taken it, if not for the Marquess. He had given it to Nina, for safe-keeping.

"HE will decide?" Nina questioned, her voice raised. "No, Luna. He can't do that! It isn't-" As she was about to say 'right', the carriage stopped, making the two jump.

"Welcome to Etruria!" Marquess Hector yelled at them from outside, "So come on out!" Luna and Nina obeyed, opening the creaking door on their side, and jumping out.

"I guess Oswin was wrong," Luna whispered to Nina as they bowed for Marquess Hector. "That was only five minutes!"

Marquess Hector, still a force to reckon with, stood above them, arms folded while a small wolf pup, the same silver colour of Luna's hair, sat beside him. It was Andrea, Luna's wolf friend, as she called it.  
"Good day, Marquess Hector," they both chanted, using their good manners, courtesy of Oswin. "How are you?"

"Dead on my feet," he muttered, "Oswin talked my ears off! Now, I have a little quest for the both of you." This made Nina's ears perk up slightly, while Luna's rose considerably.

"I need you to spy on someone," Hector continued, "who Eliwood and I both believe is betraying him. He goes by the name of Marcus. Do you know him?"

"Who doesn't?" Nina replied, "He's infamous for his work ethics. But why would he go bad?" Hector guffawed at this.

"Work ethics?" he asked, "He practically beats his students! But yes, it is odd he has gone evil so late in his career. Is it for power? Money? Or if he playing someone else as easily as us? No matter. You must find out. Even if it is a.... negative result, so to speak, Marquess Eliwood and I need to know. Understand?"

"Yes, Marquess Hector," they chanted together.

Western Isles Clan Village

Meanwhile, a small port village was burning, black wisps of smoke rising above the ill-fated town. No screams were heard, and no one tried to flee from the flames.

They had all been slaughtered, murdered by a demon who went by only one name.

Dullahan.

End

Me: Read and review! 


	2. Ambush in the Bushes

Hector: GE, aren't you going to read the reviews?

Me: No...

Eliwood: She didn't get any reviews!

Hector: Ha!

Eliwood: Ha, ha ha ha, ha, ha, ha.

Me: You guys suck... well, I don't own Fire Emblem. If I did, this would be Fire Emblem 2!

Nino: And no flaming!

Hector: (coughs) You have been warned.

Me: Wait... I got one! Yay!

Nino: (to Hector) Five bucks for me, then.

someone: I have the first five chapters done, so I'll post them as fast as I can. I'm not sure about Dullahan. I got most of the characters from a sign-up, but I think so. Thanks!

(((Change in time or place)))

Nina and Luna, both on Marcus' trail, were sitting in a bush, watching the unassuming paladin order items for the gala that night. After all, he was the one to trust most, right?

Unfortunately, Marquess Eliwood and Marquess Hector both believed he was planning something. His behaviour towards his students, and even his marquess was proving this. Now, the two Ostian soldiers had to follow him for observation.

"Why are we doing this, again?" Nina asked sarcastically as she spat out a tiny leaf. "He hasn't done a thing, Luna!"

"Well, there's always the possibility," Luna muttered back as she gave Andrea a scratch between her pointed ears.

"I just don't see the point," Nina replied, "of all-" She was interrupted by the sound of movement in the bushes they were hiding in. Another person was there, which was highly possible. After all, the bushes covered an entire yard.

Suddenly, the glint of a silver dagger passed in front of Luna's eyes. Now on her feet, she cautiously moved towards the area she had spotted it. Just then, another thief appeared.

The thief was dressed in green tunic, almost exactly like that of Matthew's, who had taught Luna long ago. However, her cape and hood were the colour of goldenrod. Her unusually bright silver eyes gazed on the trio (Andrea included) as she raised her dagger in attack, leaping for not Luna but Nina who was unprepared for the strike.

Luckily, Nina had kept her steel sword out, and blocked the blow as if it had been the attack of a branch. She then flipped her sword around, still keeping an eye of the dagger, so it was rested on the thief's neck. The thief dropped her dagger in a sign of defeat, and fell to her knees.

"So, do you want to tell us who you are and why you snuck up on us like that?" Nina questioned, her voice like a razor edge. Her normally bright green eyes were now dark, and showed a reflection of her anger.

"That is.... one of your concern," the thief answered with a deep, yet feminine voice. "I answer only the questions of Lycia."

"That's nice," Nina replied. "I guess you know Marquess Hector then, right? Blue hair, axe bigger than me, temper like a bull....."

"Yes," she murmured. "I've never heard him described like that, however. His best friend sent me on this mission, after all. I'm to spy on Sir Marcus, who is thought to be betraying the code of conduct."

"Yeah," Nina responded. "Join the club. We are on the same mission. Do you want to come with us? It would better than working alone, I'm sure."

Luna, who had kept her mouth shut as Nina and the mysterious thief talked, finally made a movement to speak. Andrea yapped once, but was silenced by the glare of the thief.

"Nina, we cannot trust her!" she cried. "She could have killed you! Doesn't that mean anything at all?" Nina shook her head in disagreement as the thief moved Nina's sword away with another dagger she had been hiding in one of her boots, slashing it at Nina, who took a blow to the arm.

Nina lost the grip on her sword, and fell back, now in the same predicament as the thief. She bit her lip as pain swept through her arm.

"I work alone," she hissed. "And I won't work with you, even if it was a matter of death. As long as I am Alpha Ruby, I will work alone." With that, Alpha disappeared back into the shadows, giving Nina one last glare as she vanished.

Luna sighed as Nina looked over the bushes, unfortunately not finding their target, who had departed along with Alpha. Nina, grabbing a vulnerary from her pocket, poured a third of the contents on the long wound. It began to disappear, but a scar still remained. Nina liked keeping some battle wounds.

"Come on, let's go," Nina sighed as Luna picked up her wolf friend. "He is still out there! I know it."

Twenty minutes later, Nina and Luna, now exhausted from the trek through the large capital city of Etruria, were now resting on a bench, still not able to find Marcus. He had been an enigma, leaving as soon as they entered an area. They watched the streets with tired eyes as an archer walked towards them.

They identified him as an archer by the black quiver on his side, filled to the brim with arrows, ready for battle. His green eyes sparkled with excitement, and his dark brown hair bounced as he skipped to a non-existent beat. His red cloak was twirled around by the wind, and he had to stop or risk falling.

"Hello, ladies!" he called from a spot across the dirt road. Luna and Nina, still holding their weapons, shook their heads as he sauntered across the boulevard, two bunches of flowers in his hands.

"What do you want?" Luna questioned quietly, her head down as she gazed at Andrea, who was playing with a dropped orange.

"Why, you two are ladies of Ostia, by the looks of it!" he cried, pointing out the crest of Ostia, which resided on the uniforms of every soldier. "What are you doing in the big city?"

"We came with Marquess Hector, as guards," Nina replied, placing her steel sword back in its scabbard slowly, still ready for a fight, having learned her lesson from Alpha. "Now who are you?"

"I am Kaze," he riposted, bowing low. "I came with the Lady Lyndis, who is probably meeting with your marquess at the moment. She asked me to spy..... but I don't even know who the guy is!"

"Marcus?" the duo questioned him together, already knowing the answer. Kaze raised an eyebrow at them, frowning slightly. They were correct.

"Yes," he retorted. "What is it to you?"

"Isn't everyone after him?" Luna enquired of Nina. "That's four, if you count the two of us. I guess most of Lycia feels the same way." Nina chuckled slightly before turning to Kaze again.

"Well, Kaze, would you like to come with us?" Nina offered. "An archer would be helpful if we get into a battle, which is possible.

"We have the same mission, which is to spy on Sir Marcus, who could probably defeat us all alone. But, if we stand together, we can defend ourselves well enough to get to our lords, or ladies, and tell them about his treachery, if any."

Kaze stroked his chin as a paladin passed by, his helmet residing tucked under his arm, showcasing his odd purple hair. It was Marcus, and he was going into an area of town where villains walked and heroes feared to tread.

"Why not?" he solicited. "It would make my job much easier. Besides, it will be an adventure! Good versus evil in a battle of wits and steel!" Nina sighed as Luna and Andrea started to run after him.

"Wait up!" Nina called, speeding after them. Kaze blinked, dazed by the turn of actions, and started to run after them, as well. If he could only get out of this.....

"Marquess Hector, do you think I should go after Nina and Luna?" Oswin asked, his voice filled with worry as he paced the magnificent halls of Castle Etruria, Hector watching his progress with steely blue eyes. "They might have been captured, or Marcus might have killed them!"

On the other side of the city, Hector was waiting for a report, his armoured foot tapping the marble floor quickly, a sign he was out of patience.

"Worry not, Oswin," Hector grumbled as Oswin stopped his pacing, after a half-hour of doing so. "Luna is very cunning, and Nina knows how to fight well. Even if he tried to kill them, he would wind up with a few more battle scars."

"Still, I worry. Nina is a little.... hot-headed, and Luna.... well, she's a thief! Not a knight, not a mercenary, not even a soldier. She won't be able to defend herself if Nina goes down."

"Oswin, that was very rude of you," Hector griped. "It's like you want something to happen to them. But, the choice is yours. However, I don't think Nina or Luna would forgive you."

"I'll take the risk," Oswin mumbled as he reached for his Rex Hasta, which was still in great condition, even after the battle against Nergal and the dragon. He then ran out, without his armour or any healing items. Hector called after him, but he was running too fast, and he was already gone.

Outside, Oswin stopped his furious trekking, and let go an evil laugh, one of which that could even scare Hector. It had been easy tricking Hector into letting him go after Nina and Luna. He would go after them first, then come back with a surprise for the assembling council.

After all, who really wants to see two teenagers die?

If Hector had been paying attention, he would have seen the black mark which resided on Oswin's hands. It was a black dragon, chains coming out of its mouth, with black lightning. As he completed his cackle, he ran into a dark ally way, which ran into the same district where Marcus was located.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, Alpha Ruby watched this, a smile on her lips and a dagger in her hands.

She was going to find Marcus before those two oafs.

Meanwhile, in the Western Isles, a great and formidable group of Clan Members had been formed, and they were basing their numbers in the northern point of the island, to fight the demon, now known as Dullahan. Most were axe users, yet some held swords, bows, or lances. They all had battle scars from past fights or wars. However, this time was different.

They knew they would die, here on the snowy mountain ranges of the Isles. Dullahan was ten feet tall, with black chains squirming around on his own back. They had a mind of their own, and attacked anything that moved. His second weapon was the dark axe Apocalypse, the mortal enemy of the thunder axe Armads. Anyone who went too close would also have to deal with the sharp spikes on his shoulders, knees, elbows, and back.

Tim was a pirate, with midnight black hair, and two different coloured eyes. One was turquoise, and the other was green with a swirl of red in the centre. His tunic hid a silver axe, which was ready to slice through anything in his way.

Tom, however, was a fighter, with unusually pointed brown hair, and deep brown eyes to match. Your couldn't see him shaking, due to the fact his was covered neck to toe in armour. However, his face gave the hint of worry. His Balilikos shook in his hand, poised to strike.

Suddenly, from over a small mountain, Dullahan appeared, covered in his deep purple armour, and ready to battle. His face, never seen, was enclosed in a helmet.

"CHARGE!" cried a warrior from the front of the crowd. The group surged forward, carrying Tim and Tom to the front. They both held axes, ready to defeat Dullahan.

Dullahan had other plans, unfortunately. The black chains on his back slashed into the warriors in front, slicing some in half, blood pouring onto the crystal white snow along with body parts. Tom slid on the spilt blood, almost losing his balance and falling to the ground. He would have been the target of the chains if not for a wise sniper, who had knocked off Dullahan's helmet with several hits.

Tim and Tom, both on other sides of the field, gasped in shock as they looked up at the attacker's face.

Instead of a human face, it was that of a demon, black and covered in the blood of what seemed to be humans. His coal red eyes glared into the crowd, and his chains stopped in mid-air. His teeth were not white, but red, probably just the colour of the blood he had been taking from soldiers and innocents.

Instead of being true warriors, like they should have been, they ran, leaving their comrades to die as they ran for a ship. Which they would, eventually.

"Die for the dark lord!" Dullahan hissed over the anxious whispers of the combatants. They stood still for a minute, then charged, battle cries ringing out as they came face-to-face with the demon.

Tim and Tom, now on a tiny lifeboat, didn't notice the river that poured into the ocean as they turned their backs on the Western Isles. It was the river of blood, from allies, friends, and complete strangers who had fallen victim to Dullahan.

GE: Well, that's it. Please read and review! 


End file.
